Rheinmetall and Thales to develop and produce 70mm rocket systems for German market.

German Company Rheinmetall and French Company Thales have signed an agreement to support together with the future developments, qualification and production of the 70mm (2.75”) guided and unguided rockets solutions for helicopters as well as potentially other new platforms in Germany.

Thales 70mm rocket (Picture source Air Recognition)

This agreement aims to support together with the future developments, qualification and production of the 70mm (2.75”) rocket systems for the German market. Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH will lead the team towards the German customers. Together, the two international groups will propose complementary capabilities for the Tiger MK3 program.

The Thales 70mm (2.75”) rocket systems are currently operated on UHT Tiger and under certification on Airbus Helicopters H145M. As part of the agreement, Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH (RWM) will lead the team towards the German customers and use its wide experience as the main supplier to the Bundeswehr to ensure the future requirements are met.

The agreement deepens the existing relationship between Thales and Rheinmetall in this field as other members of Rheinmetall Group are working in collaborative integration programs like on Rheinmetall Canada’s Mission Master UGV.

Together, RWM and Thales propose important complementary capabilities, especially in the frame of the Tiger MK3 program (guided rocket in “Lock-On-Before-Launch” mode, additional communication between the rocket system and the platform, identification, remote control…)

"The multi-decade experience and quality of the Thales 70mm rockets fit perfectly to Rheinmetall's activities to provide the users in Germany with the best products. The Thales portfolio in this domain is complementary to the current Rheinmetall technical portfolio. This gives the opportunity to combine forces, but more importantly gives the user direct access to products, meeting the highest requirements on effectiveness, accuracy and safety. And that is our mission.", said Torsten Böhm, Senior Vice President Business Development and Sales of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition.

“This strengthening of the collaboration in Germany between Thales and Rheinmetall is good news for both groups. We will provide our expertise with the 70mm (2.75”) rocket systems, which equip already many platforms in the world, and Rheinmetall the knowledge of the German customer. This is a true win-win, at a time when Airbus Helicopters is developing its Tiger MK3 version.”, said Stéphane Bianchi, director of the Airborne Armament business segment, Thales.